Commitments for ECCO Membership

From the moment that students enroll in ECCO, there are three major commitments and four tasks that individuals are responsible for.

Commitment #1: Service Learning.  ECCO members agree to acquire the experience they need to become a professional educator.  Members agree to serve teachers and students in schools for approximately 50 hours per semester in order to acquire the practical, hands-on experience requisite for becoming a professional educator.

Commitment #2: Personal Development.  ECCO members agree to take responsibility for their own learning, for charting their own course, for setting their own standards, managing their time appropriately, meeting their own goals, and developing as a person and as a teacher.

Commitment #3: Participation in the Community.  ECCO members agree to actively engage in the ECCO learning community, including but not limited to attending events organized by other members, organizing events for other members to participate in, and leading the organization as a whole to meet the interests and needs of the membership.

Tasks for ECCO Membership

Task #1: Residence.  All First Year members of ECCO are heavily encouraged to live in McDonald Hall for at least one semester to better facilitate the transition to college and to ECCO.  Members should choose McDonald Hall for their residence the first year, and then they may live wherever they wish.

Task #2: Fees. All ECCO members pay a learning community fee which pays for field placement transportation, program supplies, events, and materials.  Members will pay the following fees:

• First Year ECCO Member (whether or not you’re First Year in college)               $275.00 per semester
• Second+ Year (if you ride the bus to field placement)                                    $200.00 per semester
• Second+ Year (if you provide your own transportation for field placement)        $100.00 per semester
• Methods and Student Teaching semesters                                                    $50.00 per semester

Fees are refundable only if members withdraw from the community prior to the first day of classes.

Task #3: Background Checks.  Each year, all ECCO members must acquire both an FBI and a BCI background check in order to be eligible for a field placement internship.

Task #4: Seminar.  Each semester, all ECCO members must participate in ECCO Seminar (RESC 4700C: Independent Study).  Note: Some ECCO members are not able to enroll in the class for credit, but they commit to doing all that is required for Seminar (including assignments, meetings, etc.).

Task #5: Time Management.  While ECCO membership is a serious commitment, we also promote the well-rounded development of our members by encouraging participation in a variety of non-ECCO-related activities.  All ECCO members will make ECCO a priority and organize other commitments accordingly.